If & When

How can mothers of a younger age than culturally expected be empowered to tell their own stories?

My final project, ‘If & When’ is the first time I questioned why I had avoided making work about motherhood. Since I became pregnant at the start of my second year of university, at a younger age than culturally expected, I had spent many hours reassuring people that I was going to be okay, and that my life was not ‘going to end.’ I overheard someone say, ‘Oh, I bet all her work will be about motherhood now.’ Subconsciously, I wanted to present that, ‘Look, I have become a parent—but I haven’t changed! I am still me!’ This project was a turning point where I fully embraced and accepted the fact that ‘Yes, there are parts of me that have changed and shifted by becoming a mum, and they will inform and enrich my practice!’

Many of my frustrations stemmed from the fact that if and when we become parents is such a personal decision, yet one that is so publicly questioned. A woman who announced she wanted to be sterilised received such violent abuse she was sent a security guard by the BBC. Simultaneously women who become mothers at a younger age face significant discrimination and stigma. Despite being one of the most vulnerable groups to postpartum depression and loneliness, research has often centred around prevention of early motherhood, instead of the needs of parents of young age.

If & When is a response to the deep-rooted judgments embedded into dominant discourses about women’s reproductive decisions. It centres the stories of seven mothers, all of whom became mothers at a younger age than culturally expected. They each share their full human experiences through their writing, objects and photography.

If & When opens a space for authentic storytelling, which reveals the complexity of each of the mother’s experiences. By RISO printing participants’ archival photography and disposable camera photos, I aimed to elevate the beauty of their image making. 

Ultimately, I wanted to celebrate the lives of the women who so generously agreed to be part of the project: Their lives, their sacrifices and the fierce love that they have poured into caring for their children, despite the dominant narratives of negativity that have surrounded them.